You have to wonder if former Maryland basketball player and Atlanta Hawks rookie Kevin Huerter was more awestruck by switching jerseys with his idol Dwyane Wade after the Hawks played the Heat — or the high praise he then got from Miami’s future Hall of Famer.
After the Heat defeated the Hawks 114-113 on Monday night, Wade approached Huerter to swap jerseys with him. They, of course, both wear No. 3.
Afterward, Wade said in an interview with Yahoo Sports, “A friend of mine told me about him when he was younger that he used to wear my shoes, he wore No. 3 because of me and he looked up to me. So I knew I was going to surprise him.”
But that wasn’t all. He went on to praise the guard, who left Maryland early and was taken No. 19 in last year’s draft: “I really like his game. … He’s gotten so much better. From one No. 3 to another, I thought I’d switch jerseys with him.”
Huerter said in an interview, according to the Associated Press, “For as long as I can remember, me and my brother would wear his shoes when we were younger. We’d watch his game. He was really one of the first NBA guys I looked up to.”
Huerter has started 43 games for the Hawks , averaging 9.4 points and 2.7 assists in 27.2 minutes a game.
He posted a photo of the two players holding the jerseys with the caption: “Surreal Moment.”